Point of View
by Em'sPride
Summary: Kevin Centric. How did Kevin's accident affect people he hardly even knows? Chapter 4: The teacher
1. Hitchhiker

Okay. This story is based around Kevin (duh, who else?), and his accident. But this one is told from the point of view of several different people who aren't part of the main plot. This one is told by a hitch-hiker who witnessed the accident. Please read and review and tell me what you think.

DISCLAIMER: I own no Joan of Arcadia characters or related items, please don't sue!

It had been a long day. I had traveled with four different people, crossed a state border, been kicked out a back packers hostel and was now walking beside the road in hope of a generous person to stop and give me a ride.

A roaring engine attracted my attention. I spun around, in the direction of the noise. I couldn't see anything, but the noise was getting louder. Suddenly a pair of headlights rounded the corner. The car was really flying. I jumped into the gully beside the road. The car was going so fast, that I thought if I didn't, I would have had a good chance of being hit. It zoomed past me, and I got a glimpse of the occupants of the car. I wasn't sure if there was one or two. It sped on, and I clambered out of the gully, and set back on my way home, but once again I was distracted by a noise.

This time it was screeching tires, followed by a deafening crash. I felt a shiver run up my spine – I knew what had happened before even looking for proof, but when I did, I was more shocked.

And old blue car was lying almost on it's' side, against a telegraph pole. The passenger side was crumpled around the pole, even though the drivers side was relatively unscathed. I looked down at the ground, and saw the extensive skid marks on the road; I could smell the burning rubber.

I wondered over to the car, and peaked through the window. I saw a young man put his hand to his head. I went back towards the road and quickly whipped out my mobile and rang the emergency services. The operator said an ambulance was on the way over.

I went back over to the car, and witnessed the door open, and the young man step out. He was sobbing and shaking like a leaf, and was muttering gibberish. He sat on the side of the road and put his head in his hands. I walked over to him, to make sure he was okay, but he seemed to ignore my presence.

I watched the sad sight of this man crying on the side of the road, but then I realised that this person was not a man, simply a boy…no older than seventeen.

After what seemed forever, I finally heard the siren blaring towards us. I stepped out onto the edge of the road to signal where the car was – it was a bit hard to see as it was in a ditch.

The ambulance pulled over, did what they had to.

The first ambulance officer – there were two of them – went over to examine the boy. He didn't seem to want to move, but eventually he agreed to go up to the ambulance. The officer sat him on the edge of the ambulance, and gave him an oxygen mask. The boys face seemed to relax.

Meanwhile the second officer was looking though the car. It only took him half a second to spot a lifeless body on the passenger side. The officer called over the other, and I could see them talking rapidly. One of them dashed over to the ambulance and got a large carry bag and took it back over to the car. I could see them working rapidly. It appeared that the car door was stuck closed.

They worked frantically for several long minutes. During that time, a police car and a fire engine arrived. The police officers were talking to the boy in the ambulance while the fireman rushed over to help the ambulance officers. At long last, they pried the door open. After another few minutes, I saw them carefully lift a still body from the car onto a stretcher.

The boy looked about the same age as the first, and was wearing the same shirt; it looked like a baseball shirt.

The ambulance officers had put a neck brace around the boy's neck, and had strapped him to the gurney. One of them was putting a tube down his throat – presumably for oxygen.

Then, as if by magic, a second ambulance arrived. The gurney was swiftly taken over to the second ambulance, and the doors closed and off it went with speed and sirens.

The first boy was still talking to the police officer.

"…who was the other boy in the car?"

"Kevin Girardi," he said monotonously.

The police officers face went several shades whiter, and when he spoke next, it was somewhat strained.

"You do realise Andy that you could be put up for manslaughter?" said the officer sternly.

Andy said nothing, so the officer continued. "Were you by any chance drinking?"

Andy nodded solemnly.

The policeman sighed, and went over to his vehicle, and produced a breathalyser. He got Andy to blow into it, until the shrill beep went off. The officer looked at the reading and his face went grim.

"Okay Andy, you can go with the ambulance now, but we'll be in to see you. We're afraid we may have to press charges."

Andy still said nothing, but went with the ambulance crew, although his face was reluctant.

The police officer wondered over to a second officer, a woman who I hadn't noticed. I could hear some of their conversation.

"Mindy, it was Kevin Girardi. I'm going to go and tell Will and Helen in person…they'll want to hear it from me…will you finish up here?" The female officer nodded, and walked over to me.

"Hi, I'm Sergeant Melinda Ford. I believe you're the person who called the ambulance."

I nodded, even thought it was more of a statement then a question.

"Can you tell me what happened here?"

I nodded again, and told her my point of view.


	2. Nurse

Okay, now the nurses turn. This chapter reflects what happened when Kevin was first brought into the hospital. Enjoy.

DISCLAIMER: I own no Joan of Arcadia characters or related items, please don't sue!

I love my job…I really do. It is really satisfying. I love helping people. It's become like a second nature to me, nursing has. But every now and then, I see something that makes me want to quit on the spot. Like the other day. A young man was brought into the intensive care unit from the ER. He was in an induced coma, so his body could recover.

He had a cut across his forehead and a deep gash in his chest. The worst of his injuries couldn't be seen. The doctor I spoke to about him said it was likely he had spinal cord injury. There was possibility he may never walk again.

His parents were with him for as long as they could. As the boys nurse, Kevin his name was, I had the duty to return his possessions to his parents, the ones which he had with him when he was brought in. I had a pair of shredded up jeans a shirt and some shoes – they had to be cut off, and a gold wristwatch, Kevin's wallet, a set of keys and a mobile, which I doubt worked.

I asked his parents if they would like his stuff. They said they would, so I handed them the stuff. The mother saw the shoes, and sighed.

"Oh, I'll have to buy him another new pair; I only got them last week; $160 for baseball shoes. He'll need some new ones before he leaves for Arizona…"

It was so sad. The poor parents obviously didn't know what was going on. Even if Kevin did recover physically, there was also a chance he might have brain damage. I read his charts, and they said he had to be revived in the ambulance. That usually increases the chance of brain damage.

I didn't have the heart to say anything. That would be cruel. And of course there was a chance he'd be perfectly okay…that was one of those moments I wanted to quit my job. By the sounds of it, this Kevin boy had a future in sports. Too bad that it was ruined by a few minutes of foolish behaviour.

A policeman came by to get a statement off the boy who was brought in with Kevin – Andy Baker. Andy was driving the car that almost took Kevin's life, and it seemed he may have been drinking just before driving; that would have been what caused the accident. Now, I know for a fact that Kevin's alcohol test came back completely clean. He had done the right thing and not drunk, yet he was the one being punished. It just didn't seem right in my eyes…

I noticed he had a brother and sister who were often around. They looked tired and miserable, but every day without fail, they would visit their brother and talk to him. It was about the third day of him being in intensive care that he woke up. His father was there with him.

It was such a sad, yet happy, moment. The father moved his face close to his sons, and whispered to him. Kevin was still in neck and back restraints, so he wasn't able to move. I called for a doctor to attend to the boy, as much as I didn't want to; it was such a touching moment.

The wife quickly joined her husband and sons side. She was crying with joy. I saw Kevin give a weak, but nevertheless thankful, smile. I felt sorry for them when the doctor arrived, but I knew he had a job to do. He sent the parents outside to the anxious brother and sister. All four of them were looking into the room, trying to see what was going on. The family would have to wait, because in a hospital, that's how it is.

I didn't think that should be the way it works, however, that's just my point of view.


	3. Doctor

Okay, I'm not a doctor, so I don't exactly know how hospitals work, but if you have a major problem with anything, just tell me, and maybe I'll fix it. I also have never been in a hospital as a patient (thank God) so maybe I have my facts wrong.

Thank you to Beth Pryor whose nitpicking is highly valued! And I'm not being sarcastic. I've only seen about 10 episodes of Joan before they cancelled it, so any pickups are greatly appreciated. Also, I have no idea what baseball shoes look like, even though I play softball, which I think is almost the same (I'm not very good…), so it's good to learn these little facts!

Remember, reviews are always welcome!

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**DISCLAIMER: I own no Joan of Arcadia characters or related items, please don't sue!**

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My shift was almost over. I could depart in ten minutes, and leave the wards of St. Alfred Private Hospital, and go home and relax in front of the fire with a hot bowl of soup. I was really looking forward to that.

But I still had one last case for the day. It was going to take at least an hour and I couldn't leave until it was done. At university, many of the pupils joked about how bad the hours were at Alfred's but I never believed them to be true. 50 hour days, followed by just twelve hours rest. I guess that would be a bad day, but it still wasn't good on a good day.

I wandered into room 2516. I was visiting Kevin Girardi, MVA victim, multiple back and leg wounds, possible paraplegia. He had only just some out of a coma, and a nurse had just paged me about half an hour ago. It was one of those scenarios you had to attend to ASAP. No hot soup for me until it was done.

I entered the room and saw the boy's mother and father with him. I shooed them out. Often parents were a hindrance in these types of cases. They went outside to see their other children.

I walked over to Kevin. "Hello Kevin. I'm Dr. Witkowski. Do you know where you are?"

"Hospital," he managed to mutter.

"Good, good. And what's your date of birth?"

"15th June, 1984,"

"Excellent, now do you know why you're here?"

Kevin looked at me, and quietly said "No,"

"Okay Kevin, you and friend were in a car accident on Saturday night. You were injured so you were brought here. It is now Monday, by the way,"

Kevin shut his eyes and murmured something. What? I'll never know.

"Okay Kevin, we're going to run through some tests. You just answer my questions as best you can. Just say if I hurt you,"

Kevin gave a noise of agreement, so we proceeded with our exam.

"Okay, can you feel me squeezing my hand?"

"Yes,"

"Can you feel this?" I asked as I tapped his chest.

"Yep,"

"What about this?"

"Yep,"

"And this?"

Silence. "Kevin, can you feel this?" I asked again, tapping his tummy.

"No," he whispered.

I worked my way down his tummy and onto his leg. He was showing no sign of feeling or movement from his waist down. It was kind of what I was expecting, but certainly not hoping.

Finally I got to his toes. One of he main signs of paraplegia is toes which do not have a normal reflex reaction when the base of the foot is tapped. Alas, there was no reflex. All the tests that we had done so far had come to the same conclusion; paraplegia. Now it was my job to tell this family that their son's and brother's life had changed forever. Yay.

I called in the parents and other children, all of whom immediately gravitated towards Kevin. I told them to settle down. The ICU usually only allowed 2 guests at a time, maximum, so I was making an exception.

"Okay, I have come to a conclusion based on all the tests we have done so far. As you know, Kevin received a head wound, which as you can see, is healing just fine, no permanent damage there. Umm, he has some fairly severe bruising around the shins and calves, but once again, that should just heal over. Err, the most concerning injury was the spinal damage received in the accident.

I put up some x-rays for the family to see.

"Kevin received three fractures in various places of the spine, here, here and her," I said pointing. "Unfortunately, I believe this second fracture may have damaged the spinal cord. One of our x-rays revealed that the cord isn't completely severed; however, it has been badly damaged. It appears Kevin has lost all sensation from this fracture down," I said as gently as I could.

The family looked at me horrified. I looked down at Kevin, whose face was impassive.

"Well, there must be something you can do?" asked Mr. Girardi.

"I'm afraid we have done as much as we can to preserve the cord. When he was brought in, we immediately did as much as we could to relieve the pressure from his back."

Kevin finally piped up in a wavering, soft voice, "Will I ever play baseball again?"

Oh man. I hate this part. "From what we have seen so far, your chances of walking again are slim. Not impossible, but slim."

The room was silent. I didn't know if anyone was breathing.

"So our course of action is to first of all, allow Kevin's injuries to settle, and then we'll start a comprehensive physiotherapy schedule. We'll be able to transfer him to a normal room tomorrow, I believe. Umm, do you have any questions?"

The family sat in silence.

"Okay, if you have any questions later, just ask a nurse for me, and I'll be along as soon as I can,"

"Thank you doctor," said Mrs. Girardi.

I see these kinds of cases every second day. But this one was different. He hadn't just lost his legs; from my point of view, Kevin Girardi had just lost a big part of himself.


	4. Teacher

This chapter is told from one of Kevin's teachers' point of view. It just shows the aftermath of the accident through the students and teachers. I tell you what, I love writing this story. Hope you like reading it just as much.

A/N: I wrote this before 'The Doctor', so I hope it makes sense. I thought it did better here then earlier.

Another normal day filled with angsty teens, bitching staff and bad coffee. Well, I might be making it sound worse then it really is, I just hate Mondays. The weekend filled with marking assignments, writing out detention slips and calling parents.

I had a senior class that day. It was a fairly small class, but they were all dedicated to learn biology – that was my subject, biology. They were working quietly when we were interrupted by the PA.

"Excuse me all seniors, would all seniors go to the gymnasium for an assembly, immediately. That's all seniors to the gymnasium immediately," came the voice over the crackly system.

I got up with my students and followed them to the gym. I hated these assemblies, but it was a rule that the teacher of the class which was at the congregation, must be there too. Today, that meant me. We entered the gym, and I saw that several classes had arrived already. After a few short minutes, all of the seniors had arrived.

The principal, Mr. Jeeves, was up the front of the audience, with a somber expression on his face, but he always looked like that. He cleared his throat, and then spoke into the black microphone he was holding.

"Good morning students and staff," said Mr. Jeeves. I hate the way all of our assemblies at Robertson High always began so formally. Would it kill them to just say 'Hey guys, have a swinging weekend?'?

Anyway, Mr. Jeeves continued. "I'm afraid I have some rather bad news." Oh, oh I thought, "Umm, we were contacted at the school this morning by Helen Girardi this morning, to inform us that Kevin will not be continuing the school year with us."

Oh my God! What a stupid assembly. Sure, Kevin Girardi was one of those kids that most people liked. He was popular, a champion sports player, and actually had a chance at making the big time. Even the teachers loved him, Even though they knew his little brother Luke wrote all of his essays and study notes. Kevin hardly ever got in trouble; he seemed to keep to himself more than other members of the popular group.

But that was no reason to call an assembly, to announce that he wasn't going to finish the year. So what? Many people crack under the pressure and leave school. Although, exams had been over for a couple of weeks now, and the seniors only had two weeks of school left, so it was a bit strange to pull out now. There was no more pressure, until college that is.

"Kevin and Andy Baker were in a car accident on Saturday night. Mr. Baker received minimal injuries; however, we are afraid that Mr. Girardi is currently in a stable, yet critical condition, at St. Alfred Private Hospital."

Okay, that changed things…

"Kevin received a minor head wound, major back and leg injuries, and a substantial blow to the chest. His long term prognosis is still being evaluated,"

Wow, way to put it bluntly.

I looked around at all the students in the room. A few people looked expressionless…mainly the druggies. Some looked disheartened – they obviously knew, but were trying not to think about it. A large number looked perplexed and shocked. A small handful of girls had burst out into tears.

My attention then turned to the teachers. Most of them were looking horrified. I couldn't blame them. I felt kind of bad myself. It was a terrifying thought, a student almost dying. I taught Kevin when he was just a freshman. He wasn't very academically gifted, but I saw him playing baseball one time, and he was awesome. And his family was brilliant too. His father was a policeman, and very respectable. Helen was so selfless when it came to her children; they always had what they needed, due to her hard work.

The gym was silent for several minutes, until Mr. Jeeves finally piped up. "If you wish to speak to someone about Kevin, please stay after the assembly, otherwise, you may go."

The seniors marched out the gymnasium, like a battalion on the way to the coldest, bloodiest war ever. That's what it looked like from my point of view.


End file.
